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Paul Harris

Banker and entrepreneur

By South African Index Editorial Desk · Published · Updated · Last reviewed

Portrait of Paul Harris.
Portrait: Sunday Times · Source · Copyright retained by source publication. Resized and converted to WebP for this site.

Paul Harris helped build the merchant-banking business that developed into FirstRand. The group’s 2018 chairman’s report identifies Ferreira, Dippenaar and Harris as its founding trio. [7]

Biography

RMB traces its precursor business to 1977. Its online history says Harris joined after an original partner left, but does not give his exact joining date. This profile therefore does not identify him as an original 1977 partner. [1][8]

Harris later became one of the three entrepreneurs associated with the formation of FirstRand. The group explicitly refers to him as part of the founding trio. [2]

He subsequently served as FirstRand chief executive. A 2009 chairman’s statement records his departure from that role and credits him with a central part in the group’s development over three decades. [3]

The May 1998 listing particulars identify Harris as chief executive of the corporate, merchant and investment banking group. He later became group chief executive. The 2009 report records retirement from that executive role at the year’s end. [5][6]

Key contributions

Co-founded the business that became Rand Merchant Bank. [1]

Served as a founding member and later chief executive of FirstRand. [2][3]

Life and career timeline

  1. Became part of FirstRand’s founding trio. [2]

  2. Ended his tenure as FirstRand chief executive. [3]

  3. The chairman’s report recorded his retirement from the group board during the reporting year. [7]

Frequently asked questions

Does FirstRand founder status mean founding FNB or Southern Life?

No. The 1998 merger combined established businesses. The group’s founding trio describes the formation and development of FirstRand. [4][7]

Are the roles described here current appointments?

No. The 1998 and 2009 titles are dated historical roles, not current management positions. [5][6]

Related people

  • Laurie Dippenaar — South African banker and entrepreneur who co-founded the business that became Rand Merchant Bank and later helped create FirstRand.
  • GT Ferreira — South African banker and entrepreneur who co-founded the business that became Rand Merchant Bank and later chaired FirstRand.

Related institutions and movements

  • First National Bank — FNB is the South African banking division of FirstRand Bank Limited. Its predecessor history is older than the FirstRand group formed in 1998.
  • FirstRand Bank — The South African legal banking subsidiary wholly owned by FirstRand Limited, with separately branded banking operations including FNB and RMB.

Associated organisations

Related research

Sources

  1. Rand Merchant Bank, Sustainability Report 2010: Corporate profile, 2010-06-30. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩
  2. FirstRand, Chairman’s report 2018, 2018-06-30. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩
  3. FirstRand, Chairman’s statement 2009, 2009-06-30. Original source. Accessed 2026-09-25. ↩
  4. FirstRand, Annual Report 1998: merger rationale, insurance and banking integration. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  5. FirstRand, via JSE SENS, Revised listing particulars: merger completion and name change, 1998-05-25. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  6. FirstRand, Chairman’s statement 2009: founders, succession and chairmanship. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  7. FirstRand, Chairman’s report 2018: founding trio and board retirements. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩
  8. Rand Merchant Bank, Our story: early partnership, later arrival of Harris and 1998 formation. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-16. ↩